Banyana Banyana star player Jermaine Seopesenwe has revealed the secret behind the team’s success that finally secured them their first gold medal in the history of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) tournament.
Seopesenwe, who spent the last two years in Portugal playing for SC Braga, opened up to the media upon the team’s return from their all-conquering excursion in Morocco on Tuesday, where they defeated the hosts 2-1 to win the tournament on Saturday night.
“We needed each other and [we] relied on each other. We worked for each other and depended on each other on the field. Winning the first game gave us the momentum and that took us through the tournament,” she said.
“My teammates gave me great support and there’s a lot of talented players in the team. I didn’t think much about the pressure, and thought that if I played my game, I could deliver on the goals and the assists, and I did that.
“We showed resilience and character throughout the tournament,” added Seopesenwe, who is allegedly joining a US-based team.
Before the 2022 Wafcon, Seopesenwe had been out of the team for two years due to difficulties securing a visa.
“[My absence] was because of visa issues with my club and we could not sort it out. Coming back, this was a tournament for me to put my name back on the map and to stop people from asking why is Jermaine back in the team?
“Going into the tournament, I felt like I had something to prove after being away for two years, and this was a prime opportunity to come out and show them [her critics] what I learnt in Europe, and to help the team win our first gold medal. [Winning the gold medal] was our main goal and we tried to stay united as a team.”
The 28-year-old forward explained further: “I am happy to be back in the team and to bring gold to the nation. I am happy to put smiles on people’s faces. The Zambia game was difficult because they know us so well. We tried to play our normal game, but they made it really tough for us.
“Unfortunately, the goal came in that controversial manner, but for me it was a penalty because you cannot obstruct a player that is going into the box. We weren’t the best on the day, but we grinded out the win.”
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